Member since Sunday 9th Dec, 2012
Most of my work is in pen and ink, which I've learnt over the years by studying the work of others, and by lots of practice, which continues. I've also tried to develop wider drawing skills by attending classes, especially at the Princes' Drawing School in London.
My real passion and motivation is landscape drawing in the Lake District. One day I'll complete my illustrated book about walking in the Cumbrian mountains, to be a witty and entertaining work filled with pen and ink sketches, but meanwhile some of the drawings are on display here. I make sketches on location, sometimes working in ink to get reasonably finished drawings, but inevitably the bulk of the task has to be completed back at home, so I do work with photographs as well. However photos, at least with my technical ability, tend to distort perspective, and reduce the sense of scale and grandeur you feel when surrounded by the mountains, so the sketches made on the spot are essential to capture that sense of scale.
The realities of making a living mean I don't live in Ambleside but in west London, but there are many opportunities for drawing here too. There are the royal parks, grand houses and, most of all, the River Thames. So these are all subjects I have attempted, and some examples are shown here.
I haven't ventured seriously into colour. The nearest I've gone is the use of a wash from time to time, but I've always enjoyed black and white drawings, engravings and etchings, and the delicate, sometimes mysterious, effects with light and shade that can be achieved within the constraints of the medium.
